Let’s be honest: 2026 has been a lot. If you’ve spent the last six months feeling like you’ve lived an entire century, you aren’t alone. Even Kristine Kathryn Rusch (who curated this latest StoryBundle) admits that this year has been a bit of a nightmare.
The solution? A little bit of temporal displacement.
The “Escape From 2026” Bundle is officially live, and it’s exactly what the doctor ordered. It’s a curated collection of alternate history and time-travel fiction designed to pull you out of our current reality and drop you somewhere, anywhere, else.
This collection is a decent haul of 15 titles. Whether you are looking for lighthearted adventure, grit, or historical precision, the variety here is pretty good:
- Dry Creek Crossing by Dean Wesley Smith
- Amazing Monster Tales: Monster Road Trip edited by DeAnna Knippling and Jamie Ferguson
- Into the Time Slip by Douglas Smith (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- For the Heart of the Game by Ron Collins (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- What-Ifs, Why-Nots and WTFs by Robert Jeschonek (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- Tiny Time Wars by Michael Warren Lucas (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- Timebound Hearts by Lisa Silverthorne (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- Time Out of Mind by Leslie Claire Walker (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- What If… Volume #1 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- Making Time for Justice by Kari Kilgore (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- Last Stop: Yesterday by Kathryn Kaleigh (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- Misbehaving Time by Jason A. Adams (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- An Outfit of Otherworlds by DeAnna Knippling (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- Unexpected Timelines by Annie Reed (StoryBundle Exclusive)
- Classic Writing Time Travel Video Class by Dean Wesley Smith
What makes this collection stand out isn’t just the sheer number of books, but the wild variety of moods. We’re talking about a spectrum that runs from light-hearted comedy to downright dark, noir-infused visions.
The bundle features a mix of time-travel romance, historically accurate westerns, “weird west” tales, and alternate history scenarios where, for example, the summer vacation season is plagued by actual monsters. Plus, for those aspiring writers, the included video class on writing time travel from a pro like Dean Wesley Smith is a fantastic value-add.
As always, StoryBundle’s “pay-what-you-want” model is in full effect:
- The Basic Tier ($5+): You get three starter books (Dry Creek Crossing, Amazing Monster Tales, and Into the Time Slip).
- The Bonus Tier ($30+): You unlock all 15 books (including those 12 exclusive titles) plus the writing class.
Beyond the escapism, this bundle supports World Central Kitchen. They are doing the hard work in the actual world, feeding people in crisis. It’s a great way to treat yourself to a massive library of DRM-free e-books while supporting an organisation that makes a tangible difference.
If you’re looking to hit the “eject” button on the year, grab these books before they vanish into the timestream.
Check out the Escape From 2026 Bundle here.